Christmas Quote by Joe Hill
““As she stood there looking about, that radio sound resolved into the bluff baritone of Burl Ives, encouraging all the world to have a holly jolly Christmas, and never mind it was the third week of March. The voice was coming from the attached garage, a dingy building with a single roll-up door and four square windows looking into it, milky with filth.””
About This Quote
Source Short story: “The Man in the Black Suit”, 2010
A narrator hears a Christmas song from an unexpected source, highlighting absurdity and dissonance in a bleak setting.
In simple terms: A Christmas song plays in a filthy garage in March.
Key Takeaway
Notice how incongruous details create atmosphere.
Themes
absurdity
disorientation
seasonal contrast
loneliness
environment
Mood
melancholic
surreal
odd
Type
descriptive
scene-setting
When to use this quote
- winter holidays
- urban decay
- late night listening
Key Concepts
unexpected juxtaposition
soundscape
temporal dissonance
Questions to Reflect On
- Why does the narrator focus on the song?
- What does the setting reveal about the character?
A Different Perspective
The scene may exaggerate for effect, reducing realism.
![“He [Alan Lomax] started right off trying to find people who could introduce folk songs to city people. He found a young actor named Burl Ives and said, "Burl, you know a lot of great country songs learned from your grandmother, don't you know people would love to hear them?" He put on radio…” quote by Pete Seeger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/59e/pete-seeger-1942_actors_he-alan-lomax-started-right-off-trying-t_1712245.jpg)
![“Mayor: How horrible our Christmas will be! Jack Skellington: *No.* [the Mayor switches to his upset face] Jack Skellington: How *jolly*! Mayor: Oh. How *jolly* our Christmas will be” quote by Tim Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/500/tim-burton-2476_faces_mayor-how-horrible-our-christmas-will-be_1170661.jpg)
![“Music [is] the third rail of life. You grabbed it to shock yourself out of the dull drag of hours. To feel something. To burn with all the emotions you didn't get to experience in the ordinary run of school, TV, and loading the dishwasher after dinner.” quote by Joe Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/44b/joe-hill-1162_dinner_music-is-the-third-rail-of-life-you-grab_5424.jpg)
